Greipel taking relaxed Tour approach

Saturday, 18 January 2020:

A refreshed Andre Greipel has returned from a year off eager to recapture form that made him one of international cycling's most feared sprint stars.

But the German veteran insists he is taking a relaxed approach, putting sheer enjoyment above all else on his top-flight comeback.

A two-time Tour Down Under winner, Greipel will relaunch on familiar ground in Adelaide, where he makes his ninth start in Australia's biggest bike race.

It doubles as a debut for Israel Start-Up Nation in the process.

Greipel's battle for the blue sprint jersey with Elia Viviani (Confidis), Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-QuickStep) and Australian star Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) will be an intriguing subplot to the 2020 race.

The 37-year-old is seeking to add to his record 18 stage wins - the last of which came in 2018.

"If you divide the pressure on seven (sets of) shoulders there's less for me," Greipel said on Saturday.

"I have no expectations, I just want to enjoy riding and racing the bike.

"I've won a lot of races in my career (and) there's not so much to prove, but I want to get back in the same shape I was before.

"If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. In the end we are just riding the bike, we cannot change the world.

"But I really still enjoy it and hopefully it will turn out in a good way this season."

Greipel jumped at the chance to open his new chapter at the Tour Down Under, which has been a successful springboard for him in the past.

He will ride in the Schwalbe Classic curtain raiser through a tight Adelaide street circuit on Sunday.

"It's a really nice opportunity to start the season like that again. The weather, the atmosphere, and also the race (keep me coming back)," Greipel said.

"I've been quite successful here and it was always a good start for a successful season, so I hope for the best also for 2020."

Like many riders, Greipel has been shocked by the level of devastation caused by bushfires in and around regular Tour routes through the Adelaide Hills.

But he had no concerns about whether the event should go ahead.

"We saw all this in advance in the media before we came here," Greipel said.

"But to see it with your own eyes and see all the properties burnt down and all the nature, a lot of animals got killed by the fire as well.

"It's something really sad."

As part of the bushfire relief effort, all 20 competing teams have agreed to donate their Schwalbe Classic prize money to the State Emergency Fund and CFS Foundation.

It will total about $20,000, with Tour Down Under naming rights sponsor Santos to match the contribution.






AAP